


Twilight Setter

by NinjaSpaz



Series: BokuAka Week 2020 [8]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, BokuAka Week 2020, Bold Akaashi Supremacy, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, Getting Together, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced YakuNoya, Kuroo is a chaos demon, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Bokuto, Pining, Pretty Setter Squad, Roadtrip, Sakusa just wants (1) normal vacation, So many cliches, Sort Of, Terrible Jokes, alternate first meeting, background daisuga, captains squad, couples retreat, team bonding trip, there's UshiIwa too, this is so self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:07:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26309806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjaSpaz/pseuds/NinjaSpaz
Summary: Oikawa is a great teammate. He’s an excellent setter and his tosses are always so easy to hit that sometimes Bokuto thinks Kuroo might be right about his boyfriend being an alien. Really, the only downside to Oikawa dating his roommate and best friend in the entire world is that sometimes Bokuto has to flee his own apartment.He would be more annoyed by it if Oikawa wasn’t otherwise a decent person. He would be more annoyed by it if he didn’t make Kuroo so absurdly happy. He would be more annoyed by it if he wasn’t so stupidly pretty. He would be more annoyed by it if he wasn’t currently introducing them to someone even prettier.-In which Bokuto, Kuroo, Oikawa, Ushijima, Sakusa, Daichi, and Noya are on a college team together and they have an annual get-together at Ushijima's lakehouse to celebrate the end of the season. Some of them bring their boyfriends. Some of them try to set a certain someone up with a boyfriend. That someone is an idiot who commits to a misunderstanding from the start and almost misses out entirely.Or: 5 times Bokuto misreads Akaashi and one time he reads him loud and clear in the alternate first meeting roadtrip au of my dreams.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsurou/Oikawa Tooru
Series: BokuAka Week 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857346
Comments: 28
Kudos: 176
Collections: Bokuaka Week 2020





	Twilight Setter

**Author's Note:**

> BokuAka Week 2020 Day 6: Five Things (5+1) | Travel/Roadtrip | Alternate First Meeting AU; Day 9: Truth or Dare* | Cooking/Baking
> 
> IT IS FINISHED.
> 
> Sorry it took me 84 years but Roadtrip AU is here at last. This is the most self-indulgent thing I have ever written and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

4am is not a real time.

It’s not.

4am exists on another plane. It’s a place with insomniac video game streamers and dead-eyed college students at finals and plucky bakers preparing their shop for the day and batshit insane boyfriends of unapologetic roommates who insist that 4am is a real and good time to get up on a Thursday for a six hour drive to the mountains. “The sooner we get on the road, the sooner we can start our holiday weekend!” Oikawa had chirped the night before when he announced what time he would be picking Bokuto and Kuroo up.

“I hate him,” Bokuto grumbles into his pillow when his alarm blares at 4-fucking-am. Maybe he should just reconsider the whole thing. It’s not like he doesn’t spend enough time with all his teammates as it is. It’s not like they’ve made a tradition of going to Ushijima’s family lakehouse the last two years to celebrate the end of the season. It’s not like it’s turned into a couples’ retreat and Bokuto is definitely not bitter that he’s the only one on the team who can’t seem to find a steady boyfriend. He’s not jealous at all. It’s just 4am is not a real time and his brain refuses to acknowledge the loud beeping in his ear.

A pillow comes flying into his room and hits him in the back of the head. “Bro, come on, Tooru’s gonna be here in twenty.”

Bokuto glowers at his perpetually messy-haired roommate as he sends the pillow flying back. “I hate you.”

Kuroo blows him a kiss as his unruly mop of dark hair disappears from view. Bokuto drops his head back onto his pillow with another groan. It’s gonna be a long weekend.

-

“Oikawa, I don’t care what Kuroo says about you, you’re a beautiful human being,” Bokuto sighs happily as he sips the hot, steaming thermos of sugar and caffeine his setter had handed him as soon as he opened the door.

“Don’t listen to him,” Kuroo shakes his head. “I would never insult you by calling you human.”

Oikawa laughs as he plants a kiss on his grumpy boyfriend’s cheek. Bokuto isn’t the only one who doesn’t believe in 4am. Kuroo is simply more accommodating because Oikawa has him wrapped around his finger. Bokuto had never understood how that had happened. One day they were throwing veiled insults back and forth at every opportunity and then the next they were making out in the locker room. Bokuto still hasn’t been able to scrub that image from his memory, and not for lack of trying.

“Well it’s the least I could do after dragging you two creatures of the night out before the sun is up.” He grabs the cooler from the kitchen as they collect their luggage.

“I still don’t see why-y-y,” Bokuto yawns mid-sentence, “we have to leave so early.” He rubs at his bleary eyes and frowns at Oikawa, though he really is grateful for the coffee. “We didn’t leave this early last year. I feel like I would remember.”

“Ah,” Oikawa says, and a predatory grin splits his face in a way that is both beautiful and horrifying. Bokuto swallows involuntarily. “That’s because we have a little detour to take. Turns out we had a cancelation so I took it upon myself to fill our vacancy.” Kuroo and Bokuto exchange flat stares. They could recognize an Oikawa scheme from space. “Oh, don’t give me that look, this will be fun.”

“Who canceled?” Kuroo asked, a trace of annoyance in his tone at the fact his boyfriend hadn’t filled him in on the scheme.

“Yakkun. Noya-kun said his team has a tournament this weekend.”

“He didn’t know about it when he agreed to go?” Bokuto asked, slightly aghast.

“You know how Noya-kun gets overexcited, not unlike a certain wing spiker,” Bokuto lets out an indignant yelp, “and sometimes forgets to clear things with other people.”

Kuroo cackles as he slides his luggage into the back of the hatchback. “Yaku didn’t even know the trip was this weekend, did he?”

“Nope,” Oikawa says, hefting the cooler next to Kuroo’s luggage and in front of his own. “He called me on Monday to apologize on behalf of his idiot boyfriend.”

“Noya’s still coming though, right?” Bokuto says. He likes Nishinoya and he thinks it might be a little less lonely for him if he’s not the only solo flier at the party.

“Of course, Bokkun. This is a team trip after all.” Bokuto furrows his brows skeptically at that. With everyone else bringing their boyfriends along, it certainly didn’t feel like just a team bonding trip. “Besides, the person I reached out to may be joining us in a few months anyway. I figured inviting him with us couldn’t hurt to sway his decision. And who knows, maybe you’ll make a new friend.” He wiggles his eyebrows as he says this last.

“I don’t think I need any more friends, especially if they associate with you,” he grumbles.

Oikawa giggles conspiratorially as he puts the car in gear. “I think you’ll like this one.”

Bokuto decides he still kind of hates Oikawa, but mostly he’s too tired to argue.

4am.

Seriously.

Not a time.

He sighs, leaning against a yawning Kuroo in the backseat. At least they can sleep for the first part of the drive.

-

Oikawa is a great teammate. He’s an excellent setter and his tosses are always so easy to hit that sometimes Bokuto thinks Kuroo might be right about his boyfriend being an alien. He’s a decent roommate, not that he lives with them, but whenever he does come by, he brings snacks or groceries or whatever else they might be short of in the apartment. He picks up after himself and only makes fun of Bokuto’s collection of owl-themed knick-knacks on special occasions. Bokuto assumes he’s the same at his own apartment with Iwaizumi.

Really, the only downside to Oikawa dating his roommate and best friend in the entire world is that sometimes Bokuto has to flee his own apartment. When Oikawa stays over, Bokuto finds himself on Sakusa’s doorstep. He’s friendly with the other spiker, but he doesn’t know if he’d consider them friends. He’s pretty sure Sakusa doesn’t, at any rate. They do have an understanding, though, because when Oikawa stays over at Bokuto and Kuroo’s, Ushiwaka goes to Iwaizumi’s. The reverse is also true and, on those occasions, Bokuto will open his door to Sakusa. Sometimes he wonders why they play this game of musical roommates, but it’s just one more weird layer to their cohesion as a team.

He would be more annoyed by it if Oikawa wasn’t otherwise a decent person. He would be more annoyed by it if he didn’t make Kuroo so absurdly happy. He would be more annoyed by it if he wasn’t so stupidly pretty. He would be more annoyed by it if he wasn’t currently introducing them to someone even prettier.

Even haloed by the fluorescent street lamp in the pre-dawn twilight, Akaashi Keiji is extraordinarily beautiful. Like Oikawa and Kuroo, he is tall and lean, all sleek lines and sharp angles. But where Oikawa carries himself with a haughty air and Kuroo a lazy confidence, Akaashi is all elegant grace. That was the only way to describe the beautiful yet casual way he leans against his luggage on the curb outside of his apartment complex as Oikawa maneuvers his SUV to the shoulder.

“Keiji-kun was my genius protégé in high school,” Oikawa is explaining, though Bokuto barely makes out the words. His brain is no longer protesting the 4am alarm as it is now frantically etching every frame of this moment into his memory. The way Akaashi’s dark eyes soften and his cheeks redden under Oikawa’s praise. The exasperated fondness in his gentle voice as he says “Oikawa-san, please.” The way his hands twist together behind his back as he bows greeting to Bokuto and Kuroo, apologizing for their early departure at his expense. The slight curve of his lips as he smiles when he rises and meets Bokuto’s stare, like they are sharing a secret in this surreal plane of existence.

Maybe 4am does have rights.

-

The long drive begins with Kuroo leering at Bokuto in that way he does when he knows something Bo doesn’t that usually ends up with Bokuto thoroughly embarrassed. Like the time he spent an entire day freaking out about a calculus exam he had first thing the next morning and Kuroo didn’t bother to tell him it was only Saturday. In retrospect, that made his Sunday much more relaxed, but Kuroo still could have told him. Or the time he wanted to impress their cute RA freshman year to get on his good side so he would let some things slide. Except nobody told Bokuto that the guy was the son of the dean and also that despite the crowd he hung out with, he was not gay or even a little bi. Bokuto had never had his heart broken so fast, and Kuroo paid for it with a week of dealing with his moping. The general theme of these knowing looks is that it’s something Bokuto should have already realized but he hasn’t and Kuroo loves watching him squirm.

He refuses to squirm now, though, as he watches Akaashi’s profile, laughing as Oikawa reminisces about some shared memory, easing him into their company. Their conversation shifts to catching up, idle chatter about what they’ve been up to since they last saw each other, how their families are, how their kouhai are doing.

Bokuto drifts along the cadence of Akaashi’s words, the surge of adrenaline he’d had upon their initial meeting fading back as 4am forces its way back into his body, reminding him that it is not a real time and he still has a couple of hours of sleep to make up for, intoxicating friends of roommates’ boyfriends be damned. They have all weekend to get to know each other, after all.

He’s only half listening when Oikawa asks Akaashi something that stirs him to wakefulness. The exchange is an innocent one, but it pulls something in Bokuto’s chest that he isn’t sure how to interpret.

“So will Miyuki-chan survive without you for a weekend?” he coos.

Akaashi rolls his eyes, but his smile when he answers is soft, fond. Bokuto has seen that look enough times when his best friend looks at Oikawa. When Oikawa looks back. He’s seen it between Iwaizumi and Ushijima, and Sugawara and Daichi and dozens of friends and couples and he’s sure he’s even worn it himself many times throughout his life. He knows what that look means. “She can hang out with my sister while I’m gone.”

Oikawa laughs and they talk about their siblings and how unfair older sisters can be and Bokuto stops listening to them because he is focused on another sound deep in the recesses of his mind. A cracking of optimism, a flutter of wings as hope takes its leave. He isn’t even sure when either of those things had crept their way into his heart, but there they go.

He closes his eyes again.

4am really sucks.

-

They stop for a bathroom break at a little gas station in the middle of nowhere about halfway through their journey. Bokuto and Kuroo round up more snacks and caffeinated beverages while Oikawa tops off the tank and they take turns avoiding all manner of infectious diseases in the grimy single-stall bathroom that can only be unlocked with a key attached to a massive chain.

“He’s cute, eh?” Kuroo prods as Bokuto scrutinizes the offerings of flavored potato chips.

“Bro, he’s gorgeous. I didn’t think anyone was prettier than Oikawa, except maybe Suga, depending on the day.” He pops his head over the rack to make sure the young setter hasn’t wandered in to overhear him.

Kuroo’s lips part in that Cheshire cat way of his that never fails to send a shiver down Bokuto’s spine. “Gonna go for it?”

“Nuh-uh, absolutely not,” he hisses, waving his hands frantically in front of his face. “I’m not about to subject myself to Morimoto 2.0.”

Kuroo’s grin falters. He blinks as he processes the name. “Our freshman RA?” Bokuto pulls his shoulders towards his ears. He doesn’t want to remember that blunder. “What’s he got to do with this?”

Bokuto drops his shoulders with an exasperated sigh. “He was straight, dude. Remember?” He wipes a hand over his face as the renewed shame warms his cheeks. “I don’t want to go through that again.”

“Why would—,” Kuroo’s eyebrows raise to his hairline and the knowing leer returns. “Oh. I gotcha.” Bokuto is fairly certain he doesn’t, given the gleeful glint in his eyes as he shoves half a dozen cans of energy drinks into his arms. “Well, like Oikawa said, you can still expand your social circle.”

Bokuto looks past his shoulder and sees Akaashi handing off the clunky bathroom key to Oikawa with a grimace. He watches as Oikawa braces himself for the quest to relieve himself before they resume their hours-long journey. Akaashi may not be romantically available, but he was attending the party as a single flier. They had that in common. And Noya and Sakusa were flying solo too, not that Sakusa ever attached himself to anyone. It wouldn’t be totally awkward. It might even be nice to have someone else to talk to.

His cracked optimism begins to weld itself back together. “Yeah,” he agrees. “I can always use more friends.”

-

When they arrive at the Ushijima lake house shortly after noon, Oikawa leaps out of the driver’s seat and sprints up to the door, crying about having to claim his room “before stupid Ushiwaka can.” Kuroo shakes his head, walking to the back of the car to get their luggage. “It’s Ushijima’s place, pretty sure he gets first dibs regardless.”

“I’m amazed he willingly comes here,” Akaashi comments, helping him with the cooler full of beer and liquor. “That guy was always at the top of his shit list.”

“Iwaizumi,” Kuroo and Bokuto reply in unison.

Akaashi tips his head back slightly. “Ah. That makes sense.”

Bokuto isn’t sure how. Not that it doesn’t, just in which sense. Given that Akaashi knew Oikawa in high school, he must have known Iwaizumi too. He probably knew about their relationship which was always something more than best friends but never quite boyfriends, and following that, that Oikawa would do anything for Iwaizumi regardless of their individual relationship statuses. It could also be in the sense that Iwaizumi is terrifying and no one, not even Oikawa, would dare cross him by being rude to his boyfriend.

Though speaking of rude, Oikawa just left Akaashi all alone with Bokuto and Kuroo. Sure, they’d all just spent six and a half hours in a car together, singing along to Oikawa’s shitty pop songs for the back half of the journey, but he should still take some responsibility to make sure his friend was comfortable with being left alone right off the bat. Akaashi wasn’t fidgeting with his fingers like he’d done a few times during the drive, but they were also occupied with the heavy cooler. He did have a slight tightness about his eyes as they flickered from the car to the house.

“Everything will be fine.” He isn’t really sure why he says it, but he doesn’t want Akaashi to feel nervous. He’ll stick by him the whole weekend if he has to, even if the small smile on his lips makes Bokuto’s heart want to run laps around the sun.

“Duh,” Kuroo chimes in, completely oblivious as usual. “They’re all big boys. Come on. Let’s get this crap inside.”

Bokuto brings the luggage into the den. Kuroo and Akaashi take the cooler to the kitchen and start emptying it into the fridge. There’s already an odd assortment of cans and bottles littering the shelves and Bokuto almost starts salivating when he sees the drawer full of various meats to be grilled. Almost. He’s not an animal.

“Bout time you losers showed up,” a deep, booming voice shouts across the den.

“Sawamura!” Kuroo crows, clapping the stocky man on the shoulder, pulling him in for a bear hug.

“Hey Daichi! Suga!” Bokuto waves. “Were you waiting long?”

“Nah, we were only a few minutes behind Iwaizumi and Ushiwaka-chan and Sakusa-kun. I’d say we’ve all been here maybe twenty minutes?” He smiles as he leans in for a hug that isn’t quite as crushing as Kuroo’s but belies hidden strength. “Oh!” he exclaims as he notices their guest. “Is that Akaashi-kun?”

“Sugawara-san. It’s been a while.”

Bokuto blinks. “You know each other already?”

Suga laughs, greeting Akaashi with a less intimate gesture of a handshake. “Only in passing, really. We played against each other in high school. I haven’t seen you in what, 3 years now?”

“Almost.” Akaashi relaxes with another familiar face to talk to.

“Well come on then, let’s get your stuff upstairs,” he says, reaching for Akaashi’s luggage and leading him away, chatting amicably about what he’s been up to the last few years.

Bokuto watches them go with something odd stirring in his stomach. It isn’t until they disappear up the stairs that he realizes he had been hoping to be the one to show Akaashi around the house. He should be glad Akaashi knows someone else here. He’ll be more comfortable and can relax. Which is exactly what Bokuto hoped he would do, so why does the crack feel like it’s about to start opening again?

He doesn’t have long to dwell on it before Daichi is tugging him in and mussing up his hair and Nishinoya is leaping on his back, hollering at him to be his noble steed. The feeling fades immediately and is replaced by the warmth he always feels surrounded by his friends and teammates. It’s going to be a fun weekend.

-

After an afternoon of mingling and drinks and board games, Daichi and Suga bring out a veritable shit ton of meat and set to grilling dinner for everyone. Noya flits about the kitchen chopping vegetables for them and preparing a massive salad. Bokuto leans against the railing of the expansive deck, beer bottle in hand, observing the milling crowd hovering around the grill as Suga brandishes a metal spatula like a sword to keep the wolves at bay. Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and Kuroo glower at them as they get chided for being impatient. Sakusa sits off to the side chatting quietly with Ushijima and watching everyone with barely contained disgust.

It's nice.

Bokuto barely remembers why he was anxious about this trip this morning. 4am really is a different dimension. He doesn’t recognize the Bokuto of 4am. Standing here, mountain breeze blowing off the lake and through his hair, surrounded by all the people he loves most in the whole world, with a light buzz humming through his veins, this is where he’s meant to be.

The sliding door to the dining room opens, and Akaashi steps out, blinking into the setting sun. His dark curls dance in the same breeze that seems to steal Bokuto’s breath. Akaashi smiles when he distinguishes the spiker against the burning backdrop and makes his way over to him with a drink of his own. “Mind if I join you?” His eyes catch the fading light as he stops in front of Bokuto and the spiker notes the green beneath flecks of gold.

 _God he’s beautiful,_ Bokuto thinks, not for the first time since meeting the other man, before the sun had risen that same morning. He’s just as ethereal in the setting sun as he was in the predawn twilight and Bokuto idly wonders if perhaps Akaashi is a resident of 4am instead of the realm of mortals.

“Of course not!” he says aloud, perhaps a touch too quickly and definitely a touch too loudly. Akaashi blinks in surprise and Bokuto rushes to reassure him. “You can hang with me anytime!”

Akaashi’s face softens and he seems to cover a chuckle by taking a sip of his drink. “Thank you, Bokuto-san.” He joins him along the railing, watching his senpai’s antics by the grill, eyes sparkling with delight when Suga lands a blow to Oikawa’s shoulder with the spatula. Suga wouldn’t be cruel enough to swat at his hands and risk accidental injury, but maybe if he was, Oikawa wouldn’t be smugly munching on a roasted pepper slice he snagged. “They sure are a lively bunch,” Akaashi comments.

Bokuto grins, watching as Kuroo distracts Daichi so Iwaizumi can snipe a hot dog. “You ain’t seen nothin yet,” he says, mouth moving without thought. Once the words leave him though, he feels a split second of panic. What if Akaashi didn’t like lively? What if he was like Sakusa, who preferred to hang back and observe, who was easily overwhelmed by his teammates and their partners at these annual gatherings? He turned to reassure him again. “Not that we get that crazy! It’s just fun to unwind after a long season, you know?”

Akaashi quirks an eyebrow as his lips pull up on the same side to match. “I do.”

“Well,” Bokuto stammers, taken aback at the playfulness in his gaze, “if it gets to be too much, just let me know, ok? I’ll make them tone it down.”

Akaashi brings his bottle to his lips to mask another chuckle. “From what Oikawa has told me, you’re the one who causes the most trouble.”

“That’s—!” Bokuto wants to protest, but he’s not great at lying, even to defend himself. He feels his cheeks heat up. Akaashi laughs. His eyes crinkle and his nose scrunches up and it’s bubbly and warm and damn near gives Bokuto a heart attack even as it melts him. He gives Akaashi’s shoulder a light bump with his own. “Ok, fine, you got me there.” He pouts. “I feel like you have an unfair advantage here. You seem to know more about me than I know about you.”

“Oh I’m sure it’s not much more,” Akaashi says with a teasing grin. “Besides, we have the whole weekend to get to know each other, don’t we?”

“Right,” Bokuto breathes. He wants to get to know Akaashi. He really, really, _really_ wants to get to know Akaashi. But he is very certain that Akaashi does not mean it in the same way he does. He’s clearly not into guys. Bokuto won’t even entertain the thought Akaashi might be bi, because he still feels the phantom sting of Morimoto’s slap on his cheek, and because it doesn’t matter anyway. He has a girlfriend waiting for him back home, after all.

He can’t get to know Akaashi in the ways he would like to, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get to know him as a friend. If Oikawa is to be believed, which is not usually advised, Akaashi will be joining them in the fall anyway. Best to make friends now and make that transition as smooth as possible.

“Alright you heathens, come get your meat!” Daichi’s booming voice breaks Bokuto out of his reverie. His mouth waters at the sight of so much food. Burgers, hot dogs, sausages, steak kebabs, and something that looks vaguely like a burger but is too oddly colored to be meat. Suga slides those onto a separate plate and offers it to Sakusa. Noya comes bounding out with a giant bowl of leafy greens and chopped raw vegetables.

The buffet line quickly fills up and Bokuto is startled to find Akaashi has managed to slip towards the front. He joins it in two strides, falling in behind Ushijima and Kuroo. Iwaizumi and Oikawa have been banished to the end of the line after their preemptive strikes on the grill.

“Tyranny! Kuroo, don’t just stand there! Switch places with me!” The setter pouts, his boyfriend ignoring his pleas of outrage. Kuroo pretends to pick wax out of his ear with the nail of his pinky finger, as if he can’t hear Oikawa being a brat a few feet behind him.

“Worth it,” Iwa chuckles. Ushijima glances over his shoulder towards him, as if he contemplates doing for his boyfriend what Kuroo refuses to do for his. Iwa gives him a near imperceptible shake of his head. Ushijima nods understanding.

Bokuto debates asking if he can cut the line in his place. They’re friends, right? But Ushijima is already moving forward and the moment passes.

Oh well. There’s no shortage of food, and soon enough Bokuto is piling burgers and kebabs on his plate, drowning his salad in ranch dressing. The season is over. No more strict diets.

He finds Akaashi and Kuroo at the long table at the far end of the deck with Noya and Sakusa. His best friend waves him over with a half-cleaned off skewer in his hand and a sly grin on his face. Bokuto recognizes the challenge in his eyes. He picks up one of his own kebabs and brandishes it like a sword. “En guarde!”

Kuroo leaps across the table to commence their impromptu food-sword fight. Bokuto has to juggle his plate while he parries, Kuroo diving in relentlessly off the bat. He manages to set it down after he beats Kuroo back for a heartbeat. Sakusa grimaces as a glob of salad dressing flies free with the jostling, landing in the middle of the table. Noya cheers them on as they get more heated. From the corner of his eye, he catches Akaashi grinning at him. Oikawa whistles from somewhere behind him, and Bokuto grits his teeth as he swipes at Kuroo’s skewer for a final time.

He doesn’t send it flying though, and he doesn’t lose his own, but they both freeze when Daichi barks in his Captain Voice, “Don’t you dare waste that food after we spent all afternoon preparing it.”

He isn’t their team captain—that honor belongs to a senior back at school—and he’s the youngest of all the present former captains, but they respond like misbehaving kouhai all the same. “Yes, sir!”

Bokuto immediately drops to the bench, glaring at Kuroo as the taller man slinks back to his seat.

“Aw, Daichi, I was gonna call next on the winner,” Noya whines. Suga giggles as Daichi turns his Captain Glower on him too, and he wilts. Unlike the others, he _had_ been Daichi’s kouhai when he was captain at Karasuno and old habits die hard. Bokuto sends him a sympathetic nod.

The tension evaporates as Oikawa joins the table, laughing at their antics as if he hadn’t been scolded by the crows earlier for being just as childish. Ushijima, Iwaizumi, Suga, and Daichi settle in at the smaller table, and the conversations fall into a lull as everyone occupies their mouths with barbeque instead of chatter. There are pleased groans and murmured compliments to the chefs.

This, too, is nice.

Bokuto feels warm as the meat and veggies fill his stomach to bursting. Some of that warmth is the delicious food, some undoubtedly from the beers he’d had all afternoon, but a majority of that warmth comes from the light atmosphere in the growing dusk. Everyone is content and drowsy, the long day of travel catching up to them.

The chatter starts to pick up again as people finish eating, or get up for seconds. Bokuto had filled his plate pretty heavy on his first trip so he doesn’t want anymore, but Noya, Suga, Iwaizumi, and Akaashi all go back for round 2.

Bokuto had never seen anyone eat quite as much as Akaashi. He can’t help his gaze from wandering over the setter’s lithe body, wondering where he puts it all. His eyes aren’t the only ones watching, though. He feels Kuroo’s stare boring into the side of his head, and he flinches when he turns to meet it. Oikawa is oblivious to his boyfriend’s scheming grin because he’s too busy shaming Iwa-chan for getting another burger. Bokuto does not trust that glint in his best friend’s golden eyes.

Those eyes slide off him to leer at the man next to him. “Man, Akaashi,” he drawls, “you really like sausage, huh.” The suggestive tone is not lost on anyone sitting there. Noya snorts, Sakusa grimaces, and Bokuto wants to throw Kuroo in the lake.

Akaashi pauses, mouth open with the bun hovering halfway to his lips as he processes Kuroo’s taunt. He flicks his gaze towards Bokuto, cheeks tinting pink even in the growing dark, before he shrugs and takes another bite full of sausage and pepper and onion without meeting Kuroo’s eyes again. Bokuto remembers their earlier conversation, his promise to reign his teammates in if they got too far out of line. Well if that flush is any indication, Akaashi is clearly embarrassed and calling for help.

“C’mon man, don’t tease him,” he says sternly, throwing a kick under the table. Oikawa yelps as he misses his target.

“Bokkun, what the hell?”

“Tell your boyfriend not to pick on Akaashi.”

“It’s really ok, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi licks the juices off his fingers as he finishes his sandwich. He still avoids looking at Kuroo.

“Keiji-kun is a big boy. He can handle himself,” Oikawa grumbles, rubbing his shin.

“It’s still not funny,” Bokuto pouts. Just because the rest of them liked men it didn’t mean they had to tease the straight guy.

“I thought it was hilarious!” Noya interjects.

Sakusa rolls his eyes and gets up from the table. “Well I’ve had enough inanity for one night. Try not to make a mess if you kill each other.”

“No one better be killing anyone,” Daichi calls from the other table. “We literally just got this weekend started.”

“Oh so does that mean later in the weekend is fair game? Cause I call dibs on murdering Oikawa if this is gonna turn into the Hunger Games,” Iwaizumi taunts.

“Please Iwa-chan, the odds would never be in your favor.”

The party descends into a furious debate over who would survive the longest and which district they would represent. The longer they argue and speculate, the lighter the air around them becomes. Akaashi no longer seems embarrassed and Bokuto relaxes. Kuroo doesn’t make any more crude attempts to fluster Akaashi so Bokuto forgives him. He makes a mental note to apologize to Oikawa for kicking him later, but not while he’s in the middle of a tremendous soliloquy about the role of the Mockingjay and why he would be the best fit.

He would go on all night, but 4am comes for them all. It has been a long day, and everyone is feeling the effects of their respective early mornings. Bokuto and Iwaizumi and Akaashi help clean up the tables while Daichi cleans off the grill. Noya and Suga wrap up the leftovers and store them in the fridge for lunches.

They take turns in the four bathrooms in the house cleaning up and brushing and getting ready for bed. Bokuto is the last to rinse his hair and head to his room. He got lucky to get the twin at the end of the hall. It was the smallest room by far, but it made up for it with the spectacular view of the lake and the mountains.

As he drifts off to sleep, he can’t stop the thought that despite the 4am wake-up call, the weekend is off to a nice start.

-

Bokuto wakes to the aroma of soup and rice and eggs and, from the light filling the room in a soft glow, the promise of a warm day. It is _very_ nice not waking up before the sun. He scrambles out of bed and sprints downstairs to where Oikawa and Sakusa are sharing breakfast duty in the kitchen. Iwaizumi and Suga are seated at the breakfast bar chatting over coffee and tea. Noya hovers around, bouncing between the conversations until Oikawa yells at him to go help Ushijima in the garden before they trip over him. He dashes off, taking no offense, excited to go outside and get that fresh mountain morning air.

Bokuto hears Daichi’s voice out on the deck when Noya opens the door, and assumes he’s talking with Ushijima over the railing. Another voice responds, quiet but not with the distance he’d expect from the garden below, nor is the timbre as deep. He rocks back on his heels to catch a glimpse of Akaashi mirroring Daichi, elbows on the railing, a soft smile on his face that tugs at something in Bokuto’s chest. The door slides shut again, insulating those inside from the distant rumbling voice Bokuto had initially expected to hear answering Akaashi’s question. He wants to know what Akaashi asked. He wants to greet Akaashi good morning. He hovers on the balls of his feet, debating following Noya out to do just that, but Suga catches him before he can move.

“Morning Kou-chan,” he grins over his tea.

“Oh, Bokkun, nice of you to finally join us,” Oikawa teases.

“Don’t listen to him,” Iwaizumi says, raising his mug in greeting. “You’re still up before Kuroo.”

“Just because I get up with the sun does not mean Tetsurou has to. He’s perfectly welcome to sleep all day if he wants.” He’s deflecting. He would much prefer to be sharing his meal responsibility with Kuroo, but Bokuto had claimed dibs on that the first time they’d taken this trip two years ago. At this point, their third year into the endeavor, it was tradition for Kuroo and Bokuto to make pancakes on Saturday morning.

“That’s not what you said yesterday morning,” Bokuto replies, a touch petulantly, sidling up to the pot of fresh coffee and pouring himself a mug. He has still not forgiven Oikawa for 4am.

Oikawa narrows his eyes, brandishing the spoon at him much like Suga had done to Oikawa with the spatula the previous evening. “We were on a mission yesterday morning, Koutaro. I should think you would be more grateful for all the care I took into making sure dear Yakkun’s absence did not leave a hollow void in our festivities.”

Bokuto shares a look with Suga and Iwaizumi. “Yeah but no one can really replace Yaku,” he says, blowing on the steaming liquid in his mug. There is a photo on it of some picturesque bridge in another city. He’s never been, and it looks like a tourist trap anyway. He wonders which one of Ushijima’s relatives likes to buy those sorts of keepsakes.

“He’s got a tongue on him like Yaku though,” Iwaizumi laughs. His own mug has an image collage of Kyoto landmarks. Bokuto is pretty sure he remembers seeing one just like it at Sakusa and Ushijima’s apartment. He focuses on that thought to distract himself from wondering about Akaashi’s tongue. “You should have heard him yesterday taunting Kuroo when we played poker.”

Bokuto takes another sip of coffee as he tries not to pout. Ever since that one training camp back in high school, he has been banned from poker games with any of the former captains. It’s been almost 4 years since that incident but they still hold him to it.

Which is fine.

He doesn’t exactly have a great poker face.

“Keiji-kun is sharp as a knife,” Oikawa says. He bares his teeth in what is probably supposed to be a pleasant smile but comes out a touch sadistic. “You take care with him, Bokkun.”

Bokuto blinks owlishly at the remark. “Sure,” he says. He never had any intention of doing anything less. He also wonders why he’s being singled out, but Oikawa works in mysterious ways and it’s usually best to just roll with him when he gets that devious glint in his eyes.

The rice cooker goes off, breaking the awkward air. “I can finish up here,” Sakusa tells him. “Go get your lazybones boyfriend up for breakfast.” Oikawa’s face loses its cruel light, instead turning alarmingly fond as he bounces towards the stairs. Claim as he might to have no qualms about letting Kuroo sleep in, Bokuto knew Oikawa would have much preferred to spend the morning in bed with his boyfriend, awake or no. He smiles as he takes another sip of his coffee, listening to Oikawa’s footsteps fading overhead. Sakusa turns towards him and Iwa and Suga. “Well? You guys go collect yours too.”

Bokuto opens his mouth to object, to remind Sakusa that he’s as single as an unmatched sock in the laundry bin, but Suga’s laughter cuts him off. “They’re all in one place Omi-kun. I’ll go get them.”

Sakusa shrugs as he starts pulling dishes down. Iwaizumi grins. Bokuto shakes his head, wondering if the mountain air has made everyone a bit stir-crazy, or if they’re all just giddy because it’s a vacation and they have no obligations for the long weekend. Despite the most solid sleep he’s had in ages, he feels a bit restless. He remembers the trail along the lake and decides he’s going to go for a run after breakfast.

He invites anyone who wants to go with him. Kuroo is barely awake even after a full serving of soup and rice and eggs and two cups of coffee. Ushijima insists there are small tasks to be done about the yard before he will be comfortable joining the festivities. Unsurprisingly, Iwaizumi offers to help him. Oikawa decries that they are on vacation, and as such, working and working out should be banned. Suga and Sakusa agree, but Noya and Daichi take Bokuto up on the run. Surprisingly, Akaashi does as well.

“After that drive yesterday, I still need to stretch my legs,” he says by way of explanation.

Bokuto gets a nice demonstration of Akaashi stretching an hour later, when they’re waiting at the head of the trail for Daichi and Noya. His legs go on for days in those shorts and Bokuto has to peel his eyes away when Akaashi grabs one ankle, pulling it up behind him to stretch his quads. He bounces in place instead, restless energy building as he tries his hardest not to stare. Why had he ever suggested this?

Blessedly, Daichi and Noya come down and join them moments later. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my running shoes,” the libero grins sheepishly.

Daichi sighs with the air of someone who has dealt with Noya’s absentmindedness far too long. “I told you you’d left them in the car.” He offers an apologetic smile to Bokuto and Akaashi. “Well, we’re here now. Usual trail?”

“There’s more than one?” Akaashi asks.

Bokuto pulls one arm taut across his chest as he thinks. “Yeah, there’s a trail that circles the whole lake, but it’s like super far. There are a few that branch off towards mountain trails and other houses but there’s one that loops back towards the house that we usually take. It’s like, maybe 8 kilometers?”

“There’s a ridge with a really cool view of the lake!” Noya points excitedly off into the distance. “The trail doesn’t go quite there, but sometimes we stop and take a detour.”

“Maybe we’ll do a more leisurely hike up there tomorrow,” Daichi says, easing Noya back to their original plan. “I just want a light workout today so I can enjoy the rest of the weekend.”

Bokuto grins knowingly. The view on the ridge _is_ spectacular, and he knows Daichi would much prefer to share it with Suga. Not that he didn’t enjoy the company of the men with him, but it isn’t quite the same. “Whaddya say, Akaashi? The usual sound good to you?”

Akaashi tugs at his fingers, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I will follow your lead,” he says.

Bokuto blinks. Right. It’s not like Akaashi would know the trails here to have an opinion on where they should run. Maybe next year, though. If he decides to join them, of course. He doesn’t let the wings of hope settle on him just yet. He throws his arms out wide and beams. “The usual it is!”

Still, as they run along the tree-lined path, with Akaashi at his side matching him stride for stride, he hears the flutter chasing him anyway.

-

By the time they get back to the house, the sun is nearing its zenith. As such, the remainder of their party is down by or in the water. Suga and Oikawa are propped up in a pair of loungers on the dock, wearing matching sunglasses as they cheer Kuroo and Iwaizumi on as they race against each other out to the floating dock and back. Ushijima and Sakusa float on cartoonish tubes—Sakusa’s looks like an actual donut—watching the spectacle with honest-to-goodness contentment on their faces. Bokuto can’t wait to get out there and join them.

The other runners seem to be in agreement with him, as they all rush up to the house to change out of their sweaty gym-wear into swim trunks and flip flops. They waste no time in joining the aquatic activities below.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto shouts as he sprints off the end of the dock, tucking his knees to his chest for maximum splash damage as he aims at the space between Kuroo and Iwaizumi. Sakusa glowers at him when he surfaces, the wake of his cannonball having doused him in the collateral splatter. He doesn’t have time to apologize, as Kuroo wraps a lanky arm around his neck and tugs him under in payback.

They spend the next few hours alternating between swimming and soaking up sun, taking out the kayaks and relaxing on the various inflatable tubes and floats. Someone digs out a medium sized beach ball and they make up games to play with it. Of course, there are spiking contests to be had. Even Sakusa gets in on those.

Oikawa insists on a setter competition with Akaashi, claiming it a test to see how much his kouhai had grown in the interminable years since they had last played together while simultaneously ignoring the fact that an inflatable beach ball is not remotely the same thing as a sturdy volleyball. But when Oikawa hatches a plot, it’s best to just roll with it, and so they humor him.

He sets for Kuroo first, the middle blocker leaping into the water after completely whiffing the ball. “Did you even try to hit that?” Oikawa pouts as his boyfriend surfaces, choking on the water through his laughter.

“Did you even try to toss it right?” he shoots back, swimming back to the side of the dock to hoist himself out. “That had to have been the worst toss you have ever made.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard to follow that pitiful display,” Iwaizumi chuckles darkly. “Give me your best toss Akaashi.”

Bokuto watches with glee as Akaashi does. The ball floats off his fingers at just the right height and angle for Iwaizumi to connect, slamming it into the water before following it seconds after. Ball and spiker come flying back out and Iwaizumi has to chase after the ball before it can go too far into the lake. Akaashi’s smile widens when Iwaizumi clambers back out to give him a powerful high five.

“Ok now I’m sure you were fucking with me,” Kuroo pokes Oikawa’s ribs.

Oikawa swats him away and pouts. “I take setter challenges very seriously, thank you very much.” He spins the ball in his hands as Sakusa steps up to bat. “The ball was bone dry when I tossed it to you.”

“Excuses are unbecoming Oikawa-san,” Akaashi says to uproarious laughter. He keeps his hands folded behind his back, meeting Oikawa’s regal glower with a defiant smirk.

“I hope you’ve figured it out or I’m not hitting it,” Sakusa grumbles.

“Of course, Omi-kun. Now then, let’s show these amateurs how it’s done.” He tosses it, and this time it doesn’t go flying. Sakusa doesn’t exactly smile, but his eyes shine with satisfaction as the ball hovers in his favorite spot. He flicks his wrist, slamming it down against the water as he leaps. Oikawa preens when Sakusa emerges, nodding his pleasure with the toss.

Akaashi tosses for Daichi next. The stocky man slips on the dock though, and goes flailing into the lake without ever getting a hand on the ball. It was a shame really, because it was another beautiful toss. Bokuto cannot wait to hit one of those tosses.

Ushijima hits Oikawa’s toss with as much power as he ever does. He, too, takes this challenge seriously, if the look he casts towards Iwaizumi is any indication. Despite their current romance, it would seem old rivalries die hard.

Finally, it is Bokuto’s turn. He licks his lips in anticipation as Akaashi spins the excess water from the ball. The setter looks up at him, gaze piercing. Bokuto’s heart starts racing. He wants to hit this toss more than anything. A subtle quirk of an eyebrow. _Ready?_ Bokuto nods. “Give me your 120% Akaaaaashi!” The setter flushes at the command, but the toss is everything Bokuto has ever dreamed.

He takes several long strides toward the end of the dock, careful not to repeat Daichi’s blunder, arms stretching back behind him as he prepares his spike. He plants his feet firmly into the wood and launches himself into the air. The ball is exactly where he would have put it if he could place it with his own mind. His shoulders ripple as he swings his arm down, palm connecting with the thin plastic and driving the ball into the surface of the lake with an echoing _BANG_.

He swallows an exclamatory hoot to prevent himself from swallowing any amount of the lake, saving it for when he breaches the surface again. The rush of water over his head mirrors the rush in his blood at the tingle in his palm. He wants to hit Akaashi’s tosses over and over. “That was the best!” he shouts to the sky as soon as his lungs fill with air.

He’s surprised by the lack of enthusiasm on the dock. Did they not see that awesome spike? Oikawa and Sakusa wear matching frowns of disapproval. Kuroo and Noya are laughing so hard Bokuto is worried they’ll fall off the dock. Ushijima seems a little dejected, but Iwaizumi is consoling him with nearly as much amusement on his face as Daichi and Suga.

“Really Bokkun? You couldn’t have held back even a little?”

His eyes follow Oikawa’s arm to where it points at the floating plastic pieces. Plural. Oh. He rubs the back of his head. “Uh, my bad?” Akaashi looks a little shell-shocked. Kuroo erupts in fresh peals of laughter. Bokuto does feel bad, but it is kind of funny. He swims to the side of the dock and pulls himself out of the water. It sloughs off his skin, rivulets sliding down his chest and arms as he shakes the droplets off. He pushes his bangs back with one hand and offers an apologetic grin to his friends. “So anybody got any other bright ideas?”

“You are such an ass,” Daichi laughs.

“Where the hell is that power in official matches?” Oikawa huffs. “You better not be holding back on me. Don’t make me give Ushiwaka all your tosses.”

Bokuto is about to protest but Kuroo cuts him off. “Maybe he’ll hit harder if Akaashi joins us next year,” he taunts, wrapping an arm around his best friend.

“You ok, Akaashi-kun?” Suga calls from the shade of the swing rocker on the side of the yard. He also sports a floppy sun hat for additional coverage. Daichi had brought it out to him when they’d come out. His fair skin burned too easily. “You look a little thirsty.”

Bokuto turns back to Akaashi, alarm rising in him. The young setter does look pretty flushed. He looks flushed. And pretty. His cheeks redden even further when his eyes meet Bokuto’s. Bokuto can’t help watching the bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallows. “Yeah. Very thirsty.”

The panic bells go off in Bokuto’s mind. “Oh geez, Akaashi you should have said something!” He slips out from under Kuroo’s weight and spins Akaashi around, pushing him towards the house. “Come on, you need to get out of the sun for a bit. Let’s get you some water too!” If anything, Akaashi turns even redder. Bokuto shoots a look behind him as Kuroo, Oikawa, and Suga bark laughter at their retreat.

Some friends they are.

“It’s really ok Bokuto-san,” he sighs once Bokuto drags him into the cool kitchen.

Bokuto pulls down a glass and fills it from the tap. “No way man, heat exhaustion isn’t something to mess with.” He pushes the glass into Akaashi’s hand, refusing to back down until the younger man takes a drink. “I got it bad the first year here. I’m usually always making sure everyone stays hydrated cause I know how awful it feels. I should have been paying better attention. I’m sorry.”

Akaashi bites his lip like he wants to say something. Bokuto wishes he wouldn’t do that. It sends his mind to places it isn’t allowed to go. Akaashi shakes his head as he takes another sip. “Thank you, Bokuto-san,” he says instead of whatever is on his mind, cradling the glass in his hands like it’s the most precious gift in the world. “You are very kind.”

Bokuto feels his cheeks heat with the compliment. He rubs the back of his neck. “Well, that’s what friends are for, right?” He hopes they’ll be friends after this. He hopes Akaashi joins their team and sends him beautiful toss after beautiful toss. Nothing against Oikawa—his tosses are always easy to hit—but there was something about Akaashi’s toss that drew him in. He wants more. He can’t have all that he wants, but he’d count it a small miracle if he can keep Akaashi’s continued presence in his life.

For his part, Akaashi watches him with an odd expression. Bokuto wouldn’t dare call it fond—he’d only be setting himself up for more heartbreak—but it is softly intense, fingers drumming restlessly against the glass in his hands. Again, he has the feeling that there is more Akaashi wishes to say, but the younger man just nods thoughtfully. “Friends,” he agrees, and it feels like maybe it’s a miracle for Akaashi, too.

-

Iwaizumi and Ushijima have dinner duty for the evening. Bokuto offers to help, but Iwa waves him off. “It’s already done,” he explains. “I made it Thursday night so we could just reheat it here.”

Bokuto frowns at Ushijima chopping vegetables. He must feel Bokuto’s eyes on him because he responds as if Bokuto had asked the question. “The main dish is already in the oven, but the vegetables are better fresh from the garden.” Iwaizumi smiles at his side, tending to the rice cooker. They have a steady rhythm as they move about the kitchen, a practiced domesticity that fills Bokuto’s chest with fondness and a touch of longing.

He’s not jealous, that would be disingenuous. He loves that his teammate has a partner so steadfast and loving to come home to, even if they live with other people. Envious is probably the right word. He looks forward to the day he finds his complement, the way Ushijima and Iwaizumi complement one another. Daichi and Suga, too, come to think of it. He looks back to the den, where a rousing game of Uno is taking place, and sees Kuroo and Oikawa staring one another down before Kuroo plays a Draw 4 on him. Oikawa’s hand swipes at his hair but Kuroo ducks away with a barking laugh. Bokuto doesn’t hide his smile. _Yeah, them too_ , he thinks.

Akaashi catches him watching them. He must still be feeling the effects of the afternoon sun, because his cheeks are still a little pink. He tips his head toward the table almost imperceptibly, so small Bokuto is sure no one else noticed it. _Join us?_ his eyes ask. Bokuto spares one last look for Iwaizumi and Ushijima in the kitchen. They don’t need his help, and the scene is almost too intimate to intrude on anyway.

Akaashi’s smile broadens when Bokuto stands and makes his way to the den. He doesn’t let himself dwell on what it means.

-

After they’ve cleaned up from dinner, Suga suggests a game. He has that mischievous glint to his eyes that those who know him best warn others against, but Daichi doesn’t immediately step in to block his suggestion so he barrels on. “Let’s play Never Have I Ever!”

Oikawa shrieks with glee as Iwa and Sakusa groan. “Oh this will be fun!”

Ushiwaka doesn’t look convinced, but Akaashi and Noya seem excited for the dirty laundry that’s sure to come out. Daichi just sighs as he and Kuroo head to the kitchen to grab drinks for their boyfriends. Once Suga and Oikawa hatched a plot, there was no use fighting it.

Bokuto offers to help them bring back drinks for everyone else but quickly realizes he won’t have enough hands. “I’ll get mine and Toshi’s,” Iwa says, climbing off the large spiker and trotting back to the kitchen, making sure to shoot Oikawa a dirty look on the way. Sakusa won’t let anyone touch his drink, but he does offer to make Akaashi another cocktail if Bokuto would bring it back. He grabs a couple beers, one for himself and one for Noya, and accepts the mixed drink for Akaashi and rejoins the group.

Oikawa claps his hands and flashes his trademark smile. “Ok, now that we’re all properly outfitted with beverages, we’ll get this game rolling. Since it’s Akaashi’s first time with us, and he’s the youngest, we’ll start with him.” He narrows his eyes at his former underclassman. “Do your worst Keiji-kun.”

Akaashi returns his taunting gaze with a teasing smirk.

Iwa laughs. “Oh, this is gonna bite you in the ass, Shittykawa.” Oikawa sticks his tongue out at him.

“Go ahead, Akaashi! Give us your best shot!” Bokuto cries encouragement. He feels mildly nervous about this whole affair. What if they asked something that offended Akaashi?

Akaashi doesn’t seem perturbed in the slightest. He sits up straight on the couch cushion they had pilfered from the other den and stares Oikawa down. “Never have I ever cried while watching a UFO documentary.”

A raucous round of laughter goes up at that. Akaashi absolutely had Oikawa’s number. The look the veteran setter shoots him is nothing short of murderous. Akaashi would pay for that, but he seems to revel in the challenge. The game goes in a circle from there.

Noya sits on another pilfered cushion to Akaashi’s left and makes his declaration. “Never have I ever been caught cheating on a test!”

Bokuto and Kuroo groan as they take their penalties together. They had been caught cheating off each other more than once.

“Noya, you can’t start this game off with a lie,” Suga chides.

Noya jumps to his feet and jabs his thumb into his chest. “It’s not a lie. I’ve never been caught!”

Daichi claims he’s never flirted out of a ticket before. Suga and Oikawa have to drink. Suga says he’s never dated a friend’s ex. Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and Ushijima all take a drink for that one. In retaliation, Oikawa says he’s never gotten a tattoo. Bokuto almost laughs with relief that Oikawa had gone after Suga (he and Daichi have matching crow tattoos on their ribs so they both take their penalties) instead of Akaashi, but his laugh is choked out as he watches Akaashi take his drink.

He isn’t the only one who notices. Kuroo points at him. “Dude, no way!”

“Where?” Suga gasps.

“We were swimming all afternoon; I don’t remember seeing any ink on you!” Iwa raises an eyebrow in question.

Akaashi scowls at Oikawa, but there is a quirk to his lips that shows he isn’t actually upset. It’s a concession, and a promise. Oikawa is going to pay for revealing this. Later, though. Now, Akaashi gets to his feet in a single, graceful motion, and pulls the elastic of his sweatpants low enough off his hips to reveal a small but elegant feather. An _owl_ feather, unless he misses his mark. Bokuto tries not to stare too hard and wishes someone would give him a reason to drink because his throat is suddenly very parched.

Kuroo, in either a blessing or a curse, does just that. “All right kids. My turn. Never have I ever fallen in love at first sight.”

Bokuto glares at him as he takes a long drag of his beer. It isn’t fair that Kuroo knows him so well. He decides then and there that when it finally gets around to him, he is gonna get Kuroo back. Kuroo winks at him as if he can see Bokuto’s thoughts, but Oikawa smacks his shoulder, offended. “Really, Tetchan? I’m sitting right here!” Kuroo nuzzles his boyfriend’s neck apologetically, eliciting a giggle from Oikawa that has everyone rolling their eyes.

“Ok, never have I ever fainted in public,” Iwaizumi says, before they can go any further with their PDA.

“Et tú, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa pouts as he takes his penalty. Iwa tilts his head towards him and winks.

Ushijima claims he has never texted anything dirty to the wrong number, and while Noya and Daichi take their drinks, Oikawa asks if Ushijima ever sends dirty texts at all. Iwa tells him he doesn’t have to answer that, and he shrugs, unconcerned, while Oikawa shudders. Sakusa says he’s never been skinny dipping, and makes a disgusted face behind his mask as literally everyone else takes a drink.

It’s finally Bokuto’s turn, and he is itching to get back at Kuroo. He figures Iwaizumi will forgive him but it has to be done. “Never have I ever made out with Oikawa,” he proudly announces. Kuroo flips him off as he takes his drink, Oikawa giggling in his lap. No one is surprised when Iwa and Ushijima take their penalties, but Daichi makes a scandalized noise when Suga does as well.

That would have been wild enough, but from the corner of his eye Bokuto notices another person taking a drink. “Akaashi? You too?” he nearly shrieks. Wasn’t he straight? Akaashi’s cheeks are tinted pink and this time Bokuto is sure it has nothing to do with his time in the sun.

“Pretty setters do it better,” Oikawa cackles with a wink and a peace sign. The room briefly erupts into chaos.

They play a few more rounds after that. Oikawa makes a self-sacrificial play regarding high school Nationals to force everyone but him and Iwa to drink. Kuroo has to drink when Suga says he’d never been in an embarrassing YouTube video (he curses Kenma as he drinks). They learn that Akaashi had traveled outside of Asia when he drinks with Ushijima and Sakusa on Iwaizumi’s turn. Akaashi and Noya drink when Ushijima says he’s never hitchhiked.

Bokuto thought he was being clever against Kuroo and Oikawa again when he asserts he’s never had a threesome, and he isn’t entirely shocked to see Iwaizumi, Ushijima, Daichi, and Suga join them, but he wasn’t prepared for Akaashi’s penalty sip. The beautiful young setter continued surprising him, and he isn’t sure how much more his heart can take.

(He wants to learn so much more.)

-

The game comes to a fairly abrupt halt when Noya insists he wants to go mattress surfing. The group has a collective buzz strong enough that no one objects. Bokuto enthusiastically joins the libero, racing him upstairs to grab their mattresses from their rooms. They take turns riding down the hardwood stairs, someone timing each run with a stopwatch app on their phone. It’s a mostly fruitless effort as the times don’t really vary enough, and they’re not exactly sober enough to record the times with any degree of accuracy.

Bokuto takes pride in his ability to even convince Sakusa to make his own run, despite the spiker’s adamant refusal to participate in their “ridiculous escapades.” Iwa gets Ushijima to play along, insisting they ride down together. Bokuto isn’t sure he’s ever seen such a gleeful expression on the terrifying southpaw’s face before.

Not to be outdone, Oikawa races down with Kuroo, and Daichi and Suga make a run together. Akaashi grabs Bokuto by the wrist and drags him upstairs to be his partner for a tandem ride too. Bokuto is hyper aware of the shorter man’s grip on his arms as they position themselves on the mattress at the top of the stairs. He holds his breath as Akaashi glances up at him through long, curling lashes, a shining smile dimpling his cheeks. “Ready?”

Bokuto nods. He doesn’t even register what he’s supposed to be ready for. He’s just ready for anything Akaashi asks of him. He would go to the ends of the earth to have Akaashi continue looking at him like that, girlfriend be damned.

Akaashi looks back towards the stairs and pushes his weight forward, pulling Bokuto with him. The mattress shifts beneath them, succumbing to gravity as they tip over the edge of the uppermost steps. Akaashi yelps and clings to him as the air rushes past them during their descent. Bokuto wraps his arms around him and shields him from the fall as they slide off the bottom of the stairs and collapse onto the mattress in a fit of giggles.

He turns his head and sees Akaashi’s face staring back at him, curly hair in disarray from their wild flight. He’s warm from the alcohol and the company and he doesn’t even think as his hand involuntarily reaches out to brush the dark curls out of the pretty setter’s smiling eyes. They’re as soft as he thought they’d be. He could spend all night laying like this with his hand in Akaashi’s hair, Akaashi looking at him like he’s the only star in the sky, but his brain catches up a second later and he pulls away before he can do something stupid.

Of course, he’s drunk and overconfident, so he still does something stupid.

He abruptly decides the stairs don’t actually count as “surfing” and insists they try actually surfing on the lake. Noya challenges him to rock-paper-scissors for first dibs. Bokuto wins 2-1, both of his victories coming on rock. Sakusa tells them that they’re idiots and gives Ushijima a withering stare for not bothering to put a stop to the lunacy. Ushiwaka is pretty far gone into the booze himself, though, 90% of his attention focused on Iwaizumi’s neck, alternating between nuzzling it and kissing it.

Kuroo and Akaashi help Bokuto drag his mattress out to the dock. The rest of the party follows them. The most sober of the group know exactly what to expect, and honestly so do the drunkest, but everyone watches with varying levels of amusement as Bokuto slides the mattress off the side of dock into the water.

He then has a small dilemma.

How to actually get on it now that it’s in the water.

Akaashi is watching him, and he feels a pressing need to be impressive, so he just goes for it. He leaps off the dock like he’s jumping for a spike again, praying he lands on the plushy mattress and doesn’t overshoot it. He gets his feet on it for all of two seconds before he goes toppling over, arms wind-milling uselessly just before he hits the water.

The chill sobers him almost instantly. Faintly, he hears laughter from the shore, as well as Daichi’s stern voice telling Noya that one drowned mattress was enough for the night.

In hindsight, this had been a dumb idea.

Kuroo, Oikawa, and Akaashi help him out of the lake, dragging his soaked mattress up onto the dock. Ushijima remarks that it will likely dry out in the heat of the day tomorrow and is unconcerned that it will need replacing after they have all gone.

The crowd disperses, most people heading back to their rooms to get ready for bed. Kuroo claps a hand on his damp shoulder. “That was awesome, bro. You made it like 5 feet.”

Bokuto shrugs him off and flips him the bird. “Not my brightest idea,” he admits, ringing out his shirt as best he can.

“Not your worst, either.”

He hums agreement as they join up with Oikawa and Akaashi. The setters were snickering together. He and Kuroo exchange worried glances. Nothing good ever came out of Oikawa snickering. “What’s going on here?” Kuroo places his hands on his hips and leans over to be at eye level with his boyfriend and his protégé.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about a thing, babe,” Oikawa grins, kissing his finger and tapping it on the tip of Kuroo’s nose.

“How can we not?” Bokuto grumbles, clothes and hair dripping further on the dock. “If you’re giggling like a schoolgirl it means you’re plotting something.”

“Do we really look like we’re scheming anything, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi’s face is calm serenity. Bokuto would have trusted that face with everything if it wasn’t directly associated with a giggling Oikawa. He raises a finger to reply as such, but Akaashi steps forward and takes him by the wrist. “You really should get inside and get changed. You’re going to catch a cold like this.”

All arguments fly out of his head at the gentle touch and he barely registers Kuroo’s cackle as he lets himself be pulled back inside by the beautiful young setter. Noya and Iwaizumi were picking up the cans and games in the den. Sakusa and Ushijima were in the kitchen making sure everything was clean for breakfast. His damp feet slapped against the hardwood floor as Akaashi started to lead him to the stairs.

“Hey, Akaashi? Wait a sec,” he starts, pulling them to a halt just inside the doorway. “I don’t wanna drip water all over the house. I’ll just change in the bathroom down here.”

Akaashi tilts his head as he considered it. “Would you like me to bring you your clothes?”

“Um, you don’t have to. Kuroo can—,“

“C’mon Akaashi, let’s go rummage through Bokuto’s shit!” Kuroo takes off across the den with Akaashi trailing along behind him, both sporting identical mischievous grins as they scramble up the stairs.

“Kawaaa,” Bokuto whines. “Don’t let your boyfriend treat me this way.”

Oikawa snorts. “Please, like I have any say when it comes to you. He was your best friend before he was my boyfriend. If he wants to fuck with you, who am I to intervene?”

“And here I thought we were friends.” Bokuto runs his hands through the wet, stringy strands on his head.

“We are friends, Bokkun,” Oikawa says in a sing-song voice. Then his eyes flash with the same mischief the other two had run off with. “What do you have to hide, hmm?”

Bokuto turns toward the bathroom. He wants to be out of his wet clothes. “Nothing worse than anything you might have brought,” he pouts.

A low rumbling chuckle comes from Oikawa’s throat. “Awfully presumptuous of you, isn’t it?”

“Am I really presuming things about _you_ if I have to scrub my memory with bleach every time you stay over?” Oikawa’s grin as Bokuto steps into the bathroom across the hall is entirely too pleased with himself, and almost cat-like. He’d really been with Kuroo too long. “And it’s not presumptuous of _me_ if I’m always prepared. There are just some things you don’t leave home without.” He shuts the door before Oikawa can see how red his face is getting but not before he hears an amused chuckle leave the setter’s lips.

He leans against the door with a sigh. It isn’t like there’s anyone here he would have the opportunity to use anything with. Anyone he would have been interested in here was either taken, uninterested, or straight. Some of them were all three. He growls under his breath as he wrestles his sodden shirt off his shoulders. He was going to have to find a way to pay Oikawa back for getting his hopes up with Akaashi.

As he shimmies out of his jeans, a soft knock comes at the door. “Bokuto-san? Are you decent?”

“Uh, one sec.” He kicks and twists to get the heavy things off, and nearly sprawls on the floor as he finally manages to free his legs. He grabs a towel off the shelf and hastily ties it around his waist before opening the door. “Yeah. Sorry. Thanks,” he stammers. Akaashi waits with a small pile of clothes, his T-shirt and joggers, and tucked between them…was that?

He feels heat rise up the back of his neck. He should be grateful that Akaashi had thought to bring him a dry pair of boxers but why did it have to be _those_? Why had he even brought them? This had Kuroo written all over it. Akaashi watches him with a bemused expression. “Are those okay? Should I have brought your shorts?”

“No, no! Everything is fine! Thanks, Akaashi!” He shuts the door with a little more force than he means to. “Sorry!” he yelps. A soft chuckle from the other side of the door assures him no offense had been taken. He sighs as he drapes the towel over his still-damp hair and strips out of his wet boxers. He smells like lake water, and toweling dry isn’t going to be enough to remedy that. Thankfully, there is a basket on the sink full of mini soaps and shampoos. He plucks a couple and turns on the shower to freshen up before bed.

Ah, right.

Bed.

His is currently airing out on the dock.

Well, it was his own stupid fault. He should have known better, after all. The couch looked comfy enough anyway. It was only for one night.

He steps out of the shower and dries himself with a fresh towel. He flushes as he pulls on the neon pink boxers with the dozens of tiny bespectled owls. Seriously, what had he been thinking when he packed those? He promptly conceals them with his joggers and pulls the dry T-shirt over his freshly washed hair.

By the time he emerges, most of the party goers have gone up to bed. The sole exception is the dark-haired enigma sitting at the breakfast bar waiting with a drowsy lilt to his eyes. Not for the first time this weekend, Bokuto thinks, _he’s beautiful_.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he says softly, jolting Akaashi to wakefulness. “You didn’t have to wait up for me.”

A soft smile transforms his face. “It’s fine,” he says, stifling a yawn behind his hand as Bokuto slides into the seat next to him. “You need a place to sleep, right? I wanted to offer my bed.”

“Oh, I couldn’t kick you out!” Bokuto waves his hands frantically in front of him. He isn’t sure how much more of Akaashi’s kindness he can take. Miyuki-chan is a lucky girl.

Akaashi blinks slowly. He must be really tired. “That’s not what I—,”

“No, no, really I’m good!” Bokuto hops off the stool and drops down onto the couch. “I’ll just sleep down here for the night. I’ve got breakfast duty anyway. It’ll be easier this way! I won’t wake anybody up when I stumble out of my room at the ass crack of dawn,” he laughs.

Akaashi’s eyes narrow in a way Bokuto can’t quite translate. He regards Bokuto with the slightest pout to his lips and Bokuto really wishes he wouldn’t do that because the last remaining dregs of alcohol in his blood fill him with a desire to kiss the pout away. The moment passes and Bokuto finally breathes again as Akaashi nods. “Very well, then. Goodnight, Bokuto-san.” He waves behind him as he makes for the stairs.

Bokuto has no idea how to read Akaashi, but if it were anyone else, he would swear the look on his face was disappointment. He couldn’t have wanted the couch that bad, right?

He pulls a blanket from the hidden cavity in the ottoman and fluffs the pillow beneath him. He could have gone upstairs to grab his, but he really is exhausted from the day’s activities and doesn’t want to move again ‘til morning. He rolls onto his side, facing the open den and the spot where just a few hours ago he had been sitting next to Akaashi playing Never Have I Ever and learning way more about his friends than he ever cared to know and not quite enough about the pretty setter with the intense eyes.

The image of the feather on his hip fills Bokuto’s mind, and he falls asleep to dreams of soaring wings.

-

Bokuto is certain he is still dreaming when he wakes up Saturday morning to dark curls and green eyes hovering over him in the golden light of dawn. He bolts upright when his vision clears and he realizes Akaashi is awake and inches from his face.

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

The question is a bit ridiculous considering Bokuto has one hand clasped over his chest, his heart racing harder than if he’d just won a championship match. “I just, wasn’t expecting you to be up already,” he says truthfully.

Akaashi leans back on his heels and tilts his head to the side. It’s adorable. Bokuto swallows. “Well, you said you would be up at the “ass crack of dawn” for breakfast duty. I thought I would give Oikawa-san a break and let him sleep in with Kuroo-san this morning. I know I can’t quite take Kuroo’s place, but I do know my way around a griddle if you would accept my help.”

Bokuto blinks. A mug of coffee appears in front of him, steaming and cream-colored. He takes a sip and finds it slightly sweet, just the way he likes it. “Am I still dreaming?” There’s no way this is real life. Did he slip back to the plane of 4am?

He winces as Akaashi lightly flicks his forehead. “I have my doubts that you’re fully awake yet, but that will help.” He nods to the mug in Bokuto’s hand. This one has a cartoonish owl on it. Akaashi stands and pads back over to the kitchen. Bokuto takes another long sip of coffee before following after like a puppy chasing a new toy. He’s definitely awake now.

They fall into an easy rhythm. Bokuto mixes the batter, chattering about the history of his grandmother’s secret recipe, as Akaashi heats up the griddle. He pours the batter onto the warmed surface in batches, carefully watching the edges before flipping them at the perfect moment. He passes the finished stacks to Bokuto to keep warm in the oven. The last batch they make with blueberries.

They’re tossing them at each other when Kuroo comes shuffling downstairs, followed closely by Oikawa. “What’s this? Pancake day and no one woke me?”

“I told you Akaashi was going to do it,” Oikawa yawns behind him. He rubs the sleep from his eyes behind his glasses and gives Bokuto and Akaashi a warm smile. “Good morning.”

“Mornin’,” Bokuto waves, catching in his mouth a blueberry Akaashi tosses his way.

Kuroo’s eyes slide between the two of them, that leer of his too sharp for this early in the morning. Bokuto tenses under it but Kuroo shrugs and it disappears. “Well, I don’t want to be completely useless. We’ve got stuff for mimosas, right?” He opens the fridge and pulls out a gallon of orange juice.

Oikawa makes a pleased sound. “Ooh babe, good thinking!” He gets a pitcher out of one of the cupboards as Kuroo pops the champagne.

The smell of fluffy pancakes and the clinking of glasses begins to summon the rest of the team and their partners. Bokuto pulls a stack of plates down and serves people as they come by. Akaashi passes close behind him at one point. His back feels too warm where Akaashi’s hand had steadied him on his way to retrieve butter and syrup and toppings from the fridge. He pointedly does not think about it.

“Everyone else has been served, man. You guys should eat too.” Kuroo is leering at him again. Bokuto desperately wants to know the secret he’s apparently oblivious to. What can possibly embarrass him further than his ill-fated one-sided crush? His best friend does not enlighten him, though he does offer to do the dishes, since he was usurped of his breakfast duty.

Akaashi fills two more plates, handing one to Bokuto as they settle in at the breakfast bar. Akaashi sips on his mimosa, taunting Oikawa as the older setter gets roped into helping his boyfriend with the dishes. He laughs behind his hand as Oikawa waves the drying towel threateningly. Bokuto nearly melts at the sound and the gesture. It’s adorable. He reaches for his coffee mug to refill it in an effort to distract himself, but finds it already full. He glances back to Akaashi. He’s focused on his pancakes now, a stack almost twice as high as Bokuto’s. He catches Bokuto looking at him and flicks his eyes to Bokuto’s pancakes. _Well, are you gonna eat those?_ Bokuto picks up his fork to dig in and his stomach does an excited little swoop at the sight of them. The topmost pancake has a smiley face of blueberries. It’s adorable.

He can’t fight the wings of hope and optimism that settle on his shoulders as he devours the breakfast he and Akaashi made together. He hopes they’ll get to make more things together. Bonds. Memories. He’ll take whatever he can get. He feels as light and fluffy as the pancakes on his tongue, and not even Kuroo’s smirking leer can bring him back down.

-

Following Daichi’s suggestion from yesterday, some of the group makes plans to hike to the ridge after breakfast. Sakusa has little interest in pretty views and urges them not to worry about leaving him behind. He’s no doubt looking forward to a couple hours of peace while the majority of the house is out in the woods. Ushijima and Iwaizumi stay behind too, which prompts scolding from Oikawa because “working is banned!” There’s no stopping Ushijima when he sets his mind to something though, and Iwaizumi is less persuadable when his boyfriend wants to do something else.

Which is how Bokuto finds himself, an hour later, up on the overlook with the other couples, Noya, and Akaashi. The view is incredible as always, the lake stretching out towards the mountain on the other side, kayaks and small boats dotting the water and making small cuts in the smooth surface that glitters under the sun. They can see part of the road to the Ushijima estate from here, disappearing into the dense foliage down below. He always tries to spot the house itself, but the road curves sharply and he’s not even sure it’d be visible in the dead of winter when all the trees are bare.

He loves it up here.

He loves it even more watching Akaashi see the view for the first time. The younger man has been unreadable at times the past two days, but there’s nothing unclear about the unbridled awe in his eyes, the slackness of his jaw as he grips the railing and gawks at the sight. Oikawa points out landmarks, names the small islands and tells some of their history. Bokuto isn’t sure how much of it is true and how much is bullshit, and the look on Akaashi’s face says he isn’t buying half of it, but he still soaks up the stories and lets Oikawa ramble on.

After a while, Kuroo decides Oikawa has talked enough and pulls him away to give Akaashi some space. Bokuto leans with his back against the railing. The Karasuno alumni have found a shady spot a little way off. Suga and Daichi laugh as Noya gesticulates wildly, regaling them with an old story Bokuto is sure they’ve heard a dozen times. It’s nice.

He glances at Akaashi and his heart somersaults in his chest. The wind is steady up here, and it dances through Akaashi’s curls. He valiantly fights against it with one hand holding the side from blowing into his face, fingers curled just above his ear. _He’s beautiful he’s beautiful he’s beautiful_ repeats unbidden in his mind.

As if that wasn’t enough to irreparably destroy Bokuto’s heart, Akaashi turns and smiles at him. “Thank you for inviting me.”

Bokuto doesn’t know what he means. “Sure,” he says breathily anyway. He’d invite Akaashi anywhere to see more of that smile.

The world falls away and it’s as if no one else exists wherever they are. Akaashi turns back towards the lake, leaning forward on the railing, elbows barely brushing Bokuto’s. He closes his eyes and feels the wind on his face. He seems content to exist in the silence, and Bokuto would be content to exist in this single moment forever.

Far away, someone calls to them to head back.

-

The rest of the day follows much the same pattern as the day before. They swim and sunbathe and paddle. They make ridiculous competitions and get into heated water fights. They throw each other into the lake and wrestle in the water. He’s been hyper aware of Akaashi since waking up, and he’s not entirely convinced this whole day hasn’t been an incredibly vivid dream.

Except, you’re not supposed to be able to feel things in dreams. He can feel the heat of the sun on his face. The sting of water in his eyes after an aggressive splash from Kuroo or Akaashi. The tingling sensation on his body from every casual brush of skin against skin. It’s intoxicating and he craves more.

He lets himself indulge a little, and finds excuses to touch back. He wrestles Akaashi in the water almost as much as he wrestles Kuroo or Iwaizumi or Noya. He scoops him up on the dock and jumps in the water holding him in his arms. He hoists him on his shoulders to play chicken against Kuroo and Oikawa, Ushijima and Iwaizumi, and Daichi and Suga in the shallow waters at the edge of the shore.

(That was almost a mistake; having those legs so close to his head nearly drove him insane.)

It’s nice, and he can ignore the voice in the back of his head telling him none of it is real. He knows it’s not, because it can’t be. He can’t be flirting with Akaashi. He can’t be flirting back. He can’t be draping himself on Akaashi the same way he does to Kuroo and Iwaizumi and Daichi. He can’t be dozing on the dock with his head in Akaashi’s lap while Akaashi cards his beautiful, long fingers through the wet tangles in his hair. He can’t be curled up with Akaashi on the loveseat stuffing their faces with pizza and wings at the end of the day.

He can’t be, because that would mean Akaashi isn’t straight or taken. He can’t be, because that would mean he has a chance. He can’t be, but it’s a nice dream anyway.

-

Their final evening is more subdued than the previous two. Everyone is relaxed from the long, jovial weekend and stuffed to bursting with the greasy food they have been denied for months. Bokuto is pretty sure Akaashi ate an entire pizza on his own and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little impressed.

The whole day was surreal, and he’s either going to wake up tomorrow and find out it really was just a dream and they still have a full day ahead of them, or he’s going to wake up and find that it wasn’t a dream and their weekend is over and they have to go home. He’s not sure which would be worse.

But it’s not a dream. And tomorrow Akaashi will go back to his girlfriend and Bokuto will go back to his apartment with his best friend and play musical roommates for a few more months until they get their shit together and just move in with their partners.

The couples start slipping off to pack. Noya helps Sakusa and Ushijima clean up the kitchen and the den. Akaashi has gone upstairs to pack, too, so Bokuto figures he may as well shower and start packing his own things.

He changes into his sweats and an old T-shirt. They’ll be comfortable enough to ride in for the six hour drive back in the morning. They’re certainly comfortable enough for sleeping in. Which reminds him that his mattress is still down by the dock. The couch wasn’t the worst place he’s ever slept, but he would like to sleep in a bed tonight, and the sun had been hot today. The mattress is probably dry. He should have brought it in earlier.

Everyone is busy with their own evening preparations—brushing teeth, packing, cleaning—so he doesn’t bother asking anyone to help him. The air is cool and he breathes in the mountain scents as he makes his way down to his lonely mattress. It’s still leaning against the side of the boathouse, slightly damp with dew but otherwise dried out from last night’s escapade. He leaves it for another few minutes and walks out onto the dock.

He takes the quiet moment to enjoy the night view. He hasn’t really had a chance yet this weekend. In the previous two years he’d always found time to lay out in the yard or on the dock and watch for shooting stars and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t take this opportunity to get a look at a night sky unpolluted by city lights.

He also gives himself the space to think. Not that he hasn’t done enough thinking this weekend to last a lifetime, but all weekend long he’s been surrounded by people who can read him like a book and it’d be nice to have a moment to think without seeing his friends watching him. Not that he can stop himself from wondering about Kuroo’s incessant teasing. About Oikawa’s cryptic smiles. About Suga’s subtler maneuvering. Every one of them kept pushing Akaashi into his orbit, Akaashi himself the worst offender of all. Bokuto was missing something, he’s sure of it.

He’s still thinking about Akaashi when the man’s voice sounds behind him, nearly sending him tumbling into the lake. “So, this is where you wandered off to.”

Bokuto’s heart drums a steady beat against his ribs as he tries to get it back under control. “Well I was gonna get my bed,” he stammers. “But then I got distracted.”

Akaashi hums, lacing his hands together behind his back as he sidles up next to Bokuto. “Something on your mind?”

“Uh, I guess? I mean, I don’t know.” He looks away before he can say another stupid syllable. He looks up to the inky sky and sighs. “The stars. They’re really lovely out here.” Even though he had sort of stayed out to stargaze, it feels like a cop out to admit it. But he can’t bring himself to say what’s really on his mind, not when he’s hyper aware of how close Akaashi stands next to him. He can feel the shorter man’s eyes on him, tingling the hairs at the back of his neck.

“They are.” Akaashi’s voice is low, almost reverent. Bokuto hazards a glance to his side. Akaashi is not looking at the stars. “You know,” he says, trailing a feather-light touch up Bokuto’s arm, sending a shiver down his spine before the hand plucks at a nonexistent thread at his collar, “there’s something that’s been on _my_ mind all day.” He lets out a breathy chuckle. Bokuto feels it wash over him and through him and he’s pretty sure it takes his soul somewhere out over the lake. “Ok, it’s been on my mind since I got in Oikawa’s car at the ass crack of dawn on Thursday, but you haven’t made it any easier all weekend.” His eyes flicker to Bokuto’s lips and that is all the warning Bokuto gets before Akaashi tightens his hold on Bokuto’s shirt and pulls him down so their lips collide.

With Akaashi’s lips on his, all rational thoughts fly out of his head. His hands fly to Akaashi’s face of their own accord, cradling his jaw and pressing back as he’s imagined doing since he’d first laid eyes on him. Akaashi’s lips are as soft as he dreamed, and pliant, opening to him with the lightest pressure. Akaashi’s arms snake around his neck, his back arching into Bokuto, and he sighs into the kiss. It sends a jolt through the haze in Bokuto’s mind. He wants more, wants to know what Akaashi tastes like, how he’d react to Bokuto’s hands in all sorts of places, what sorts of sounds he can drag out of him. It isn’t fair, the effect Akaashi’s lips, Akaashi’s body, warm and wanting against him, has on him. It draws him in and he never wants to let it go.

Somehow, agonizingly, his brain manages to fight through the fog of lust enough to pull away. “Not that I haven’t been thinking about this all weekend either,” he says, breathless, “but this isn’t right. We can’t do this.” He wishes he wasn’t such an honest man. He hates his traitorous tongue for speaking when it could be exploring Akaashi’s mouth instead.

Akaashi doesn’t relax his grip on him. His eyes are dark, brows pulled down in confusion. “Why not?” His fingers tangle in the hair at Bokuto’s nape. He shivers at the touch. “I’ve been wrong before, but I don’t think I’m misreading this. You are interested in me, aren’t you?”

Bokuto shakes his head in an effort to clear it, to keep himself from falling and doing things he’ll regret later. “I am very much interested,” he groans out, as if it pains him to admit it. “But it isn’t fair to your girlfriend.”

Akaashi does take a step back at that, his hands falling to rest on Bokuto’s shoulders. “Girlfriend? Who told you anything about a girlfriend?” He doesn’t look guilty. If anything, he just looks perplexed, like Bokuto had just told him the sky is green and the sun is purple.

“I heard you and Oikawa talking in the car on Thursday morning,” he admits. “He said Miyuki-chan would miss you.”

Akaashi’s eyes light up with understanding and his jaw drops as the picture finally becomes clear. Then he doubles over, clutching his stomach in peals of laughter. Bokuto watches him warily, unsure of the humor in this situation. “Bokuto,” he says, recovering enough to stand straight again and meet his eyes. Akaashi’s eyes sparkle with amusement and something dangerously close to fondness. “Miyuki is my cat.”

The words hit Bokuto with so much force they knock the wind out of him. He almost staggers backwards, and maybe he does sway a little because Akaashi’s hands dart out to grip his arms again and steady him. “Your cat,” he repeats dumbly.

“Yes.”

“You’re not straight?”

“Decidedly not. Kuroo wasn’t wrong about the sausage,” he adds with a coy smirk.

Bokuto feels his face flush to his ears. Akaashi hadn’t been looking for Bokuto to rescue him at dinner the first night, he had been _flirting_ with him. It wasn’t a dream. Akaashi had been flirting with him the _whole weekend_. Every long look, every suggestive comment, every lingering touch, they were all more than friendly gestures.

He pictures Kuroo’s knowing leer from the first day and every subsequent day since. He knew.

“Oh,” he says, wishing the dock would crumble beneath him and let the lake swallow him whole. He glances at the dark water and thinks maybe he’ll jump in anyway. “Well I’m just gonna drown myself now and save us both the embarrassment of the rest of this conversation.”

Akaashi’s fingers dig into his arms. “You are not jumping in the lake two nights in a row,” he admonishes. The command in his voice sends another jolt through Bokuto. Akaashi pulls him away from the edge of the dock, just in case he decides not to listen to him. He follows without resisting; he’d follow Akaashi anywhere. “So,” Akaashi says.

“So…,” Bokuto scratches at his cheek, avoiding Akaashi’s eyes and choosing instead to stare off towards the stars.

Akaashi huffs a laugh. “Why didn’t you just ask me?”

“It never really came up,” he says, not admitting he hadn’t even thought to ask.

“My flirting with you never got you wondering why?”

“I thought you were just being friendly!”

“You are ridiculous,” Akaashi laughs, dropping his head to Bokuto’s chest.

“I may have been told that.” Bokuto lets his hands settle on Akaashi’s waist. They feel like they belong there. “Still interested?”

Akaashi tips his head back up so their lips are a breath apart. “I like ridiculous,” he whispers against them, sending a shiver down Bokuto’s spine.

He needs no further invitation as he pulls Akaashi to him and closes the distance again. The heat of Akaashi’s body pressed against him, the fervent grip of his hands in Bokuto’s hair, the soft gasps and giggles between them as they break apart and come together again and again are proof that his hopes had never been ill-placed, that he is not dreaming. He doesn’t let himself feel regret for what they almost missed. They have all the time in the world to learn more about each other now.

He smiles into the kiss as he realizes he gets to learn as much as he wants.

-

Bokuto’s bed does not get brought back inside that night.

They make use of it right there by the lake and if they see 4am again, well, that’s just where they belong.

[[x](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26819161)]

-

“You thought he was straight?” Kuroo can barely breathe through his laughter. Bokuto would be more offended at the teasing but he did bring this on himself. Besides, Akaashi’s hand gives his a gentle squeeze and nothing in the world can bring him down after last night. Or rather, this morning. It’s honestly kind of a blur. They didn’t get much sleep.

They’re loading the cars and Oikawa is pinching the bridge of his nose as if he’s trying to stem a headache. “After all I went through to set you up, you’re telling me you almost whiffed it over a misunderstanding because of something you heard half asleep on day 1?”

Bokuto and Akaashi glance at each other and grin. Bokuto shrugs. “That about sums it up, yeah.”

“Bokkun, I could strangle you.” Akaashi and Kuroo both step between them before Oikawa can make good on that threat.

“All’s well that ends well, don’t you think?” Suga chimes in. He hasn’t stopped giggling since they explained what happened after they both disappeared last night. Daichi shakes his head at his side.

Bokuto yawns. “Look, all that matters is we worked it out. No harm, no foul.”

“So does this mean you’ll be joining us in the fall?” Noya bounces excitedly.

Akaashi’s lips curl up in the soft smile that stutters Bokuto’s heart. “I can think of a few good reasons to stick around.”

Sakusa rolls his eyes as Ushijima nods appreciatively. “It will be beneficial to have another strong setter on our team,” the southpaw says. “You have good sense.” Iwaizumi chuckles.

“It can’t be that good if he likes Bokuto,” Kuroo jokes under his breath.

“Why not? Bokuto is a good spiker and a likeable person.”

“Thank you Ushiwaka,” Bokuto nods drowsily. “You are the only teammate I can trust.”

Ushijima opens his mouth to reply that they should all trust one another regardless, but Iwaizumi shakes his head and tells him to let it go. They have all wasted enough time this morning celebrating the revelation that Bokuto and Akaashi had finally spent the night together. They say their goodbyes and pile into their separate vehicles.

Kuroo sits in the passenger seat of Oikawa’s SUV for the drive back, leaving Bokuto and Akaashi to the back, fingers laced and legs tangled on the seat. For all their taunting and teasing of the new couple this morning, they preen like proud parents. “Well I’d say this weekend was a success,” Oikawa grins at them in the rearview mirror. Bokuto and Akaashi don’t even hear him. 4am wasn’t that long ago and they’re already asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thus concludes my contributions to BokuAka Week 2020! I am not writing a stand-alone fic for Day 9 after this. There were elements in here that satisfied the prompts for it (*I'm counting NHIE as satisfying the ToD prompt as a game in a similar vein and then there was the disgustingly domestic breakfast scene so there).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed these stories! I love this ship and will certainly be writing for it again in the future, but now I need a long rest. Don't forget to leave a kudos if you got this far! And feel free to shout at me in the comments! I thrive off your responses so don't be shy! Catch me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/anininjaspaz) for drabbles in the near future.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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